Catching Eve
by belladonna78
Summary: Eve Dunne has been pulled back into the field after a year of hiding behind a desk. Her mission: break Ethan Hunt out of a Russian Prison, and assist him foiling a nuclear war. But there will be complications, and the return of an old lover complicates matters. Follows MI:GP. William Brandt/OP Eve Dunne. Rated M for a bit of smut. *COMPLETE* Picture found on tumblr - idk where
1. Chapter 1 - Rescue

**A/N - **So I loved this movie. Mostly, I just love Brandt. Benji annoys me a bit, funny though he is, so I got to thinking, what if Benji's character was replaced by an old love interest of Brandt's to spice things up? This is what I came up with. It follows the story of Ghost Protocol, mostly from Eve Dunne's POV, and sometimes Brandt's with a bit of background in there to bring her to life. I wrote this from the middle, my favourite scene in MI:GP was the "I'll catch you" scene, that's where my angst for Brandt started, I could just see a love scene playing around those words whispered. After that chapter was written, I just felt inspired to finish the rest, hope it makes sense - if not, well, I'm not a spy, I don't really know how this all works. It's angsty, people likely don't behave this way in life or death situations... or do they? Who knows. But it's been playing out in my mind for days, I had to get it out, good story or not LOL … Hope you enjoy it. Allow me to introduce Eve Dunne. MI:GP how it should have been, IMHO ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol or any of the characters. Eve is my own spin on a better Benji. I have used a lot of the script to follow the movie, but added my own. Don't sue me. It's just a little fun with the characters.

Rated T for the Chapters 2 (trigger warnings for sexual assault / attempted rape) and Chapter 7

**RUSSIA – present day**

How had everything gone so wrong in such little time? I took a moment to reflect on this as I sat in the unmarked van outside the Russian Prison. With the flick of a switch I opened one of the doors inside the maximum security wing. The occupant left the confines of his room. As the guard approached, I muttered... "Let's give you a few friends to play with." I hit a few more buttons and all the doors in the wing opened.

Time to cause some chaos.

Jane was slugging her way through the sewers. I heard her voice come over the coms. "I'm in position. Move to phase two." I complied, and music started blaring out the speakers signalling to our target that we were here for him.

"What are you doing?" I muttered as Ethan refused to go in the direction he was supposed to. I stifled a sigh, just like when we worked together, as stubborn as ever. _Ethan... go to the extraction point. _Jane tried to reassure me that he knew what he was doing. I settled in, a stubborness of my coming over me as he casually leaned against the guard rail. "Ok, we're gonna wait? We're gonna wait."_Fine._

Through the monitors I saw his patience starting to give, he raised a fist to the camera, I saw the anger behind his dark eyes. "OK fine!" I sighed, and opened the door. He blew me a kiss through the monitor, _dammit it all to hell. _"You just screwed the whole thing up, on purpose." _Just like Ethan._

Minutes later he was on the run, a straggler with him. I blew an exasperated sigh out my lips, conversing with Jane. "We have a passenger." That was if they made it to the extraction point alive. Ethan was yelling at the camera...

"Open all of them!" He instructed. I did so, and watched as a sea of prisoners washed out into the walkways. Ethan and his passenger were gone. I moved into the driver seat of the van and waited for them.

The Russian was confused, not understanding why he was suddenly in a van with obviously American occupants. He spoke in Russian to Ethan, calling him Sergei. He believed Ethan to be Russian. Of course he did, they all do, that's what we do.

"I don't mean to bring up the elephant in the room, but what's with the big hairy Russian?" It was the first time I'd spoken, I waited to hear Ethan's response.

"Eve?!" Ethan looked back at me then, realisation hitting him. "How is it you're here?" I looked in the rear vision mirror at him, my eyes meeting his, it was a fair question. I hadn't been in the field for over a year. Not since... Korea. Ethan had been the one sent to get me out, when negotiations failed. But the damage had been done. I couldn't play the field, fear gripping at my heart, and IMF had dutifully put me into a communications position, behind the scenes, where I could serve out my days. They wouldn't just toss me aside, but I wasn't useful to them either. Ethan knew this and the look was plain.

"I don't know... I got called in a week ago for this mission with Carter. We were told to get you out, whatever it took. Crazy right?!" I half laughed because it was true, I wondered at my ability to work in the field again after being out for over a year. But here I was, hand selected it seemed, for this mission.

Jane and Ethan exchanged pleasantries. "You mind telling me what you were doing in a Russian prison?" She asked.

"You mind telling me why you broke me out?" He countered.

"This wasn't a rescue mission?" Jane frowned.

"Well let me put it this way... if the Secretary wanted me out of there, and pulled her..." He pointed at me, "... from what was essentially field retirement. It must be pretty bad out here." Ethan concluded.

I had to agree. If the Secretary wanted me on this job, to reunite with Ethan. It could only mean one thing. There was something big happening, something we were completely in the dark about.

Jane spoke of her last mission with Agent Hanaway. We'd lost a file, an important one, and he was dead because of it. Shot by an assassin. The file in the wind. "It was my op," Jane said. "I put him in the field. And she left him alive just enough for me to see him die." I cringed at the thought, there was an unspoken regret, an anguish there in her voice, Hanaway had been more to her than colleague.

As the contents of the file were revealed, Ethan had a few points for us to consider. Our person of interest, Cobalt, had just risen to the top of the most wanted list. We waited for our next mission. I wondered at why I was here. Why had I been called back to duty? Surely there were others out there who were more suited?

**KOREA – 2 years ago**

_We were on a chopper, flying low over the forests of South Korea. I lay on the floor of the chopper, beaten and defeated. Ethan next to me, a hand on my back as I coughed, a burning sensation going through my lungs, ribs, and down my back. Every part of me ached, I was so cold, so bruised. _

_Ethan's eyes met mine, concerned, an unspoken question hiding behind those brown orbs. _Was I all right? _I tried to answer. My lip was swollen, as was my eye. I didn't trust myself to speak, didn't know if I could. My throat burned from the hours, no weeks, of screaming. I pushed it to the back of my mind, I couldn't think about it. I was here, rescued... Ethan, my colleague, my friend, had gotten me out when I had thought there was no hope. I had given up on retriEvel, resigned to my fate. This understanding passed from my eyes, the hopelessness fading, and Ethan recognised the look, he'd been there himself. He nodded silently at me, brushing my hair out of my eyes. _

"_You're safe now."_

_I nodded, a sob wracked from my mouth as I turned on to my side, looking out the open side of the chopper at the trees flying past. Safe. What was that? I clung to Ethan's hand, he squeezed it back._

"_Thank you." I whispered. He nodded, then leaned forward to look me in the eyes. A sadness passed across the surface. Something had happened. Something while I was in that torture pit in Korea. I sought answers from him, but he simply shook his head. "You won't be seeing me again Eve." I knew then it was serious, but we were landing, and suddenly I was taken from him, wheeled quickly into the nearby hospital to be examined. I watched as Ethan's silhouette faded from view, a lone figure, his hand raised in a final farewell._

**RUSSIA – Present Day**

Now here we were. Together again. I watched as he walked away from the graffiti covered wall and waited for the inevitable hiss and burn as the message he'd just received from IMF self-destructed. When it didn't happen, Ethan turned and punched the phone. I chuckled. He hadn't changed.

"We're going into the Kremlin." He said at Jane's questioning.

"Huh, that's funny." I said. "I thought you said we were going into the Kremlin!" Ethan smirked. With a sigh, I felt a great foreboding fall down on me like a heavy curtain. The Kremlin.


	2. Chapter 2 - Mission Fail (Rated T)

**A/N Trigger alert. Mention of sexual assault and attempted rape.**

_We had failed. _

This sombering reality was sit settling into the very bones of me as I sat in the train car with Jane. Both of us silent, staring at the dark walls, our thoughts our own.

_Ethan is dead! _

I shook my head, not wanting to believe it. So many missions, so many near-misses and he was just gone, like that. We'd failed our mission, we didn't get the files – and one of the most loyal and dedicated IMF agents I'd ever known, a friend, was dead. I didn't even want to contemplate what that meant for us.

The train started to pull away from the station. I wasn't sure where we were going, but we were leaving. Our first priority would be to get out of Russia, alive, and then see where we stood once on friendly ground.

Without warning there was a beep at one of the computer stations, someone was trying to access the car. Jane and I exchanged glances, grabbing our guns and standing to attention, our weapons and our looks trained on the access door.

The door slid open and two bodies tumbled into the car in the darkness. The lights came on as the door closed and I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Ethan?! Geez I thought you were dead!" The surprise, and relief, was clear in my voice.

"We are," said the other man with him. He stood, a resignation to his shoulders that I could see even with his back to me.

"Who's this?" Jane asked, gesturing toward him with a gun.

Ethan held out his hand, indicating we could put away our weapons, we lowered them slowly, curiously looking at the newcomer.

"Dunne and Carter," Ethan said gesturing to me and then Jane. "William Brandt, chief analyst." He waved in Brandt's direction.

Brandt. My heart skipped a beat. _It couldn't be. A chief analyst?_

"Analyst?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. His eyes opened slightly wider as he turned to look at me upon hearing my name, then took on a guarded gaze which I returned.

Ethan ignored my comment, he was already tapping at one of the screens, bringing it down to a table where he placed a data stick against the surface. I knew it would contain our latest mission.

"Agent confirmed." Stated the computer and opened up a file.

Jane had lowered her gun and was turning to Ethan. My eyes were still locked on Brandt, who had slumped into a chair nearby. He returned my look with a slight shake of his head as my arms dropped to my side. _William Brandt. Where have you been hiding all this time? _My thoughts were guarded, as I contemplated this new turn of events. _How had Ethan come across him? Why was he here? What the hell was going on?_

I wondered at his slight warning for not indicating I knew him, again I wondered, _what the hell is going on?_

Ethan was watching a video on the screen, we stood behind him, close but not close enough to interfere. The audio played over the speakers and I stopped my train of thought toward Brandt so I could concentrate on what we were being shown. I leaned against the wall, the steady sway of the train soothing my tired mind. Grasping my chin with my fingers, I forced myself to focus and listen to what was being played.

Ethan was on the phone, already one step ahead of us, as if he already knew what was happening, what we were going to do next. I wanted to sleep, but that was not a luxury we were going to get.

Brandt paced in front of me, glancing in my direction every now and then. I pretended not to notice, but my heart was racing at a mile a minute. As I watched the video, I allowed a small part of my brain, a section I had walled off years ago, to tentatively open.

**PARIS – Five years ago**

_It was a simple intercept, get the file, get out. I nervously played with the ball gown I was wearing, smoothing at the folds in front. Orchestral music floated upon the balmy night air as I fidgeted, waiting for my cue._

"_You look beautiful." He stated quietly, I'd barely even heard him come up behind me. A hand softly caressed my long dark curls that were piled up on my head in an intricate design laced with pearls. I allowed myself a moment to revel in his touch, a slight shiver escaping me. _

"_I feel completely naked." I replied._

"_Believe me, if you were, we'd have to abort the mission. We only need you to catch the attention of one Senator tonight." He said quietly, with a smile, still standing close. _

"_I want my gun." I sighed._

"_You have me." His eyes met mine, there was concern there, worry that I was faltering, worry at what I was going to have to do next, worry... for me._

_I took a long breath and released it, steeling myself for my mission. A voice crackled over the earpiece, Stickell was hiding somewhere, watching this from afar as the scene played out. "OK you two lovebirds, the mark is in the house. Let's not waste another weekend getting this file, agreed?"_

_I smirked at Stickell's comments, taking another breath. "Roger that." I glanced back at my companion's face. It was stony and silent beside me, contemplative, like he was not happy with where things were going. _

"_Wish me luck Will." I breathed. Setting my face into the seductress that I was going to need to be._

_He smiled at me, encouragingly, "You don't need it." His blue eyes meeting mine with a reassurance. He nodded. "I'll be right behind you." I nodded, and slipped into the crowd, eyes on my mark, William Brandt's words lingering in my mind as I'd felt his hand on my lower back, protective, comforting – and then it was gone. _

_Half an hour later I found myself in an out of the way bedroom, the hand of a sleazy Senator half way up my leg, pressing to get further as he kissed my neck. I fought off the urge to gag, playing my part. My hands sliding down his back, squeezing his buttocks drawing a moan of excitement from him as I slipped my hand into his pocket, pulling out the security identification card. _

_I sought out my back-up while fending off a few direct kisses, one hand tangling in the Senator's hair and bringing his mouth down to my neck. I moaned quietly, he took this as a good sign and began feverishly kissing along my shoulder, sliding my dress down as much as he could get it. _Where was he? _I searched him out again, looking into the shadows, and there I met his eyes again. Brandt. _

_He skirted into the room, the Senator completely oblivious to his presence. He hesitated as the Senator pushed me back on to the bed and I let out a surprised cry. Clear blue eyes like a summer day met mine, the Senator was working at my skirts, sliding a hand up my calf. If only we could have used a drug, but orders were orders, he could not be touched, his health would not stand it. Our mission was clear. I shook my head at Brandt, who looked as if he was fighting a battle of wills. _"Go!" _I mouthed to him._

_A curt nod, and he was all business again. He disappeared into the shadows, and I turned my attentions to the Senator, and wondered how I was going to keep his advances at bay, whilst appearing interested. _

"_Senator," I breathed, "How do you feel about a game of hide and seek?" I asked with a cheeky raised eyebrow. The Senator looked up at me with a lustful grin, and in my earpiece I could hear Brandt's chuckle as he made his way down the secret passage to recover our file.  
It was taking too long, whatever was going on Brandt had not returned and I found myself in a predicament. The Senator was getting impatient with my games, it had been ten, maybe fifteen minutes since I'd seen Brandt leave. I found myself breathlessly pinned to the bed, the Senator forcefully wrenching down my underwear. I had to play along, I was a helpless girl, not a trained covert agent. I could not give us away. But things were starting to get rough. _Where was Brandt?

_I felt his finger push roughly inside of me, I was unprepared, and it hurt. I flinched and cried out, did Brandt hear that through the mic? The Senator laughed and started to feel inside of me, his thumb finding my clit and rubbing in circles, teasing me. I found myself responding against my will to his touch, every part of my mind crying out for it to stop as my body betrayed me.  
"Ahhhh, now we get some response mon ami." said the Senator. I closed my eyes, forcing my head to the side so I didn't have to look at him, enduring his touch. The mission, our orders, they had to be carried out.  
"I'm coming Eve..." It was just a whisper over the com, in my ear. "It'll be ok." Will? I started to get up, expecting him at any moment. But something was wrong, he was being held up. Stars spun before me as I the Senator struck me across the cheek. I gasped, and found myself roughly being turned over, legs dragged halfway off the bed, my skirts around my waist. I caught sight of the Senator's arousal as he pushed me violently into the mattress, holding my head down as I feigned a struggle. He would expect one, I had to at least put up part of one. But I could feel him starting to slip between my legs. "Will..." I whispered into the mattress. _

_Brandt came rushing back through the bedroom, silently but quickly. I could see him from where I was, but the Senator could not. His eyes were dark with fury, and he carried something in his hand. He stopped, how to intervene without exposing the mission? I could see him thinking quickly, and he tucked the file into the back of his pants. _

_Then he stumbled, loudly, into the room, making his presence known. The Senator stood up quickly, pulling his pants up to cover his shame, my skirts falling down over my legs again.  
"Senator!" Brandt feigned drunkeness. "There you are!" The Senator looked annoyed, but waved Brandt in.  
"Your wife sir, she is coming this way and looking for you." This got the Senator's attention.  
"Ahh, yes, my good man. Thank you for your .. courtesy. I am finished... with this." He gestured to me, I lay silently on the bed. "Take her with you?" Brandt nodded, eyes never leaving my face, "Enjoy yourself... there's a room down the hall." Brandt's eyes widened at that, he was barely containing his rage, but orders are orders. He nodded and pulled me to my feet with a fake lustful look. The Senator laughed. Without a word, I followed Brandt out of the room, and then we were moving quickly down the hallway, readjusting my dress, smoothing it, as if nothing had ever happened. We melted into the crowd and then out the door, his arm wrapped possessively around me to fend off any advances. We were out._

_Later that night, as I stood under a hot shower trying to wash away the tactile memories of the Senator's touches, the Senator's intrusions, I felt a presence enter the bathroom. My gun was within reach on the other side of the shower curtain and I made a move for it, but he caught my hand, once again I was staring into those deep blue eyes. _

"_Seeing him touching... on top of you like that made me sick to my stomach. If I'd been delayed even longer..." His voice trailed off, unable to speak what we both knew might have happened. I watched him, his eyes never leaving mine as his hand traced up my arm gently, unsure. _

"_I would have done … endured what I must, for the sake of the mission. Our orders were clear." I whispered these words, trembling at the thought of what might have been, just how far my little charade might have been taken. When I closed my eyes I could feel the hard arousal of the Senator sliding between my legs, pressing urgently toward my centre...I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. _Don't go there.

"_You saved me..." I felt my control starting to slip, my hand was shaking at his touch. He never stopped looking at me, concerned, his hand turning the water off, wrapping a towel around me and pulling me out of the shower into his arms where he just held me against his chest, my head leaning tiredly on him, listening to the faint thump of his heart under my ear. _

"_Eve, I know it wasn't routine in there, usually you never have to … well, you know, he was allowed to go a lot further than..." I stopped him, placing a finger over his mouth. A look of longing passed between us. I placed all my feelings into my eyes, dropping my shields. His look widened slightly, but he smiled. I leaned into him, my forehead meeting his, our noses bumping, I could feel his breath wash lightly over me.  
"Make me forget." I whispered. _

The sound of the weapons panel opening brought me back to the present with a jump. I had really been lost in my thoughts and chastised myself – I was tired. Brandt was standing sheepishly next to the panel which now sat open, a selection of guns waiting to be claimed.

I shook my head at him, bringing my attention back to the recording. Ethan was still talking on the phone.

"_It occurred to me here that nuclear war might have a place in the natural order. But only if it could be controlled, only if it touched every living soul equally."_ The translator's voice finished on the video and the horror of what I'd just heard started to sink in.

Ethan stopped the recording and filled us in on the mission... a nuclear launch device in the hands of an extremist who thought nuclear warfare was the answer to the world's problems. He brought up the screen showing Sabine Moreau, the assassin who had killed Hanaway on our last mission. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Jane, and glanced at her sideways. I knew what she was feeling, and I risked a glance back at Brandt – he kept his face unemotional, unwavering.

We would be going to Dubai, where Moreau and Wistrom, our new targets obviously, were headed for an exchange.

"The Secretary..." Ethan stated, "is dead."

Jane and I exchanged looks, this complicated things. I could see Brandt shaking his head where he sat to my left, he looked dejected.

"The President has invoked Ghost Protocol. We're shut down. No satellite, safehouse, no support or extraction. The four of us, and the contents of this car, are all that remain of the IMF. As of this moment any actions aren't sanctioned, so if you want out, speak now." Ethan looked at me, I met his eyes and said nothing. I was in, I trusted him implicitly, and we had a job to do.

Jane said nothing as Ethan's gaze went to her. She was in. Brandt took a breath, and started to say something, but then looked down. He would not abandon his duty.

"Our mission is Hendricks, we're all that stands between him and his goal, nothing can be left to chance." Ethan pointed at the screen of Wistrom, and continued. "Everyone connected with this man is considered an asset with valuable information about our target. No one can know we're still online. We lose Hendricks now, we lose him forever." He was overstating it, but the reason was obvious as he met Jane's eyes. She had been emotionally attached to Hanaway, she was a weak link when it came to Moreau, now was not a time for revenge.

We went into the details of the mission, planning already, a game play coming into my mind. I got up, pacing as my mind considered the possibilities. "That's simple enough, we just re-snatch the codes, we generate some fakes, Jane you double Moreau and sell the codes to Wistrom and Bob's your uncle." Seemed pretty straight forward to me.

"And how do you propose that we just snatch the codes from Moreau?" Brandt asked. I stopped at the sound of his voice. It held a certain, resignation that I hadn't heard in it before. He seemed dubious of the plan, almost forlorn, how had he come to join us? Why was he here? _When had he lost that gleam in his eye?_

"We take her out." Jane said, unsurprisingly. I exchanged a look with Ethan and raising an eyebrow.

"Take her out?" Brandt asked.  
"She's an asset." I said quietly, making the point for Ethan. He was in a hard place, I knew, I had to let him know I had his back. Ethan nodded. I looked at Jane, a sorry twitch of my lips letting her know I wanted to back her up on this, but couldn't.

"We don't touch Wistrom." Ethan said, before looking directly at Jane. "Or Moreau." He approached her, I'd seen that look in his eyes before. "She'll answer for Hanaway, but it has to be when I say. After we get Hendricks." Jane said nothing.

It was time to go, collect what we could and get to the hotel in Dubai where our new mission was waiting for us.


	3. Chapter 3 - Dubai

_Will_

The trip to Dubai had been painstaking. Cramped in the back of the land rover with Eve, pretending I didn't know her. She kept glancing at me and I tried to ignore her. We hadn't had a chance to be alone, her eyes were full of questions, none of which I could answer without letting Ethan and Jane know that there was more to William Brandt than a simple _chief analyst. _

Time would tell. I tried to focus on what was ahead of us. But memories flowed up from a room I had locked them away in so long ago.

_LONDON – 2.5 years ago_

_She was walking, quickly whilst still appearing unhurried through the cobblestoned streets, little cafes lined the walkway as she wove in amongst tourists and locals all vying for their lunch time table and meal. _

_I was still ahead of her, shadowing her; as she rounded a corner, I grabbed her, pulling us into an alleyway and pushing her up against the wall of the building. A sharp intake of breath as she prepared to fight me off before recognition flowed through her. Hazel eyes met mine. With a quirky smile, I looked down at her. _

_Her surprised smile was reward enough, but to see her, touch her, have her in my arms again was indescribable. She brought her hands up to my face, soft hands caressing my cheeks as she sighed happily. _

"_Where have you been?" She pulled me into her, resting her forehead against mine, our breaths intermingling._

"_To London, to look at the Queen." I avoided her question with a smile. She shook her head, our noses brushing against each other. _

"_William Brandt... do not tease me." She looked up at him sternly as she pulled just a minuscule distance away. Then her eyes started to soften. _

"_I missed you." She whispered._

_I could feel my brow furrow into concern for her. I had missed her too, more than I wanted to admit. More than I was allowed to admit. We were risking so much as it was, but I couldn't help it, I could not let her go._

_Without an answer I lifted her chin with one hand, cupping her face with my other as I delicately kissed her, my tongue softly running along her lips, she tasted of tea and honey. I darted my tongue further in, probing her, deepening the kiss, showing her how much I had missed her in the last three months I had been on assignment. It was getting worse, now the team was reassigned, we could barely meet every few months before being shipped off on another mission. I sighed, content to be in the moment with her, just holding her._

A week later I'd received new orders. I was being sent on protective duty. We bore the news as well as all the other times, but it was getting harder to say goodbye. At the train station, a light summer rain drizzling down on us, we'd held each other close, lingering kisses as we waited for my train.

"_I'll see you soon." I whispered to her, I knew she would be ok, she was tough. My heart skipped a beat in fear whenever I could not be there to protect her. But that was harsh reality of our job. _

_She nodded. "Be safe." I love you, her eyes said. But I never said it, nor did she. _

The Burj Khalifa appeared before us, rousting me out of my memories. Eve was no longer looking in my direction, absorbed in diagrams and blueprints on her computer. I allowed my gaze to fall on the hotel before us, and set my mind to the task at hand. We arrived at the hotel and all four disembarked carrying our bags. There was no time to lose.

"34 minutes to door knock." I said, setting the timer before Eve's computer. She raised an eyebrow at me questioningly before looking back to her blueprints. How I wished I had time to take her aside and talk.

"Wow, um, ok..." She started, a look of slight panic coming over her face. "This is a slight wrinkle but nothing to worry about." I raised my eyes at that comment, _I've heard that before. _"We're just going to have to go into the server room from the _outside." _She finished, with an apologetic look in Ethan's direction.

We didn't have time for this. I watched Ethan's face turn to one of disbelief. "What?"

Eve explained how the firewalls were military grade, and without our back-up from IMF, it would take too long to hack it. We had to go through the outside, there was no other choice.

"If we can't get to the server, we don't control the elevators, and we don't control the security cams." I stated, my hands balling into fists inside my pockets. I tried to look calm, but a my gut felt like a stone had just settled in it. "This operation is over before it even begins."

Eve looked at me, then back at Ethan, "I'm telling you, we can get to the server from the outside."

"We?" Ethan asked

"Well... I'm on the computer," Eve said. Ethan looked at me.

"I'm just the … the helper." I said, gesturing at Eve who smirked at my play on her comment earlier. Now was not the time to reveal my military skills. Let Ethan do the walk.

Ethan shrugged out of his jacket and started to pace in front of the window, staring warily down the 120 floors to the ground. I could appreciate that in him, straight to the point.

"Vent ducts?" Ethan asked suddenly, turning to Eve.

"Pressure sensitive." She replied quickly.

"Not enough time." I put in.

"Elevator shaft?" Ethan asked.

"Infrared sensors." Eve said.

"Not enough time." I echoed, starting to pace myself.

Eve was busy rifling through her bag.

"How am I supposed to do this?" Ethan asked, more to himself than anyone in the room. His answer, a black glove tossed in his direction. It hit the window, blue lights shining from the back of it as it clung to the glass. Ethan turned to give Eve a look of skepticism, wondering mildly if she had finally gone mad. I cringed, glad it was him and not me.

Eve was going over the gloves with Ethan, I listened to her voice letting it wash over me while I tried to look busy.

"Just remember blue is glue." She finished. Ethan looked at her, his face just centimetres from her. She returned his gaze unflinching.

"And what is red?" He questioned.

"Dead." She said simply, patting him on the shoulder with a grim look and moving away.

We all stood around looking pensive. We were over 120 storeys up, red, dead, indeed. The look of worry had returned to Eve's face after her brief foray into amusement, trying to lift the heaviness from the life or death situation before us. I could see her trying to figure out another way in her head, she was always planning, always thinking through the possibilities. _There's not enough time. _

She looked at Ethan, he met her eyes, she was worried about him. I watched as she grasped his arm in her hand and words passed unspoken between them. I felt a stab of jealously rise, but fought it down. They were old friends, nothing more. He'd saved her life. And it wasn't as if I had a right to judge anyway. I looked away to the window that was now missing from the side of the building, fighting to get my emotions under control.

Ethan took a few steps to the edge, and then with one decisive movement, plastered his hand against the glass.

_Eve_

Ethan started to climb up the glass, my heart was in my chest and I couldn't breathe. But as I saw him confidently moving up I shook my head and got myself back into the game. _Get it together Dunne, _I told myself, _there's work to be done. _I was also suddenly very conscious that I was alone in the room with Brandt. I'd caught a look of something... though what eluded me... as I'd looked at Ethan earlier. I shook my head and rounded the computer to the mask machine, setting the program to task in creating Wistrom and Moreau's likenesses.

"What is that?" Ethan's voice sounded over the com. I glanced up, wondering what he was talking about, and my mouth hung open at the storm we suddenly saw approaching from the horizon. In a moment I was standing with Brandt at the window, having completely forgotten I was avoiding him.

"What the hell is that?" Brandt asked beside me.

"It's a sandstorm." I replied. "It's a long way off Ethan. Shouldn't be a problem." I tried to reassure him. I met Will's eyes, neither of us were convinced.

Jane entered the room, looked around, and asked simply "Where's Ethan?" I drew a breath, it was explanation time.

23 minutes to door knock. It was going to be close. Ethan's voice came over the coms, confirming he had reached server level. We could hear him struggling to break the window, the tempered glass was strong, and then he slipped, a grunt coming over our earpieces.

"I'm in." He informed us.

"That's great Ethan, you're half way home." I replied.

The server was ours, we had control of the security cameras. Jane and I hurried out the door to start the redecorating, we were cutting it short. Jane headed back to the suite to get her disguise ready, I had just a few more doors to complete.

"Your line's not long enough!" I heard Brandt's voice come over the com. Suddenly there was a bunch of grunting from everyone involved, and I hurried back to the suite just in time to see Brandt go flying out the window, Jane hot on his heels, grabbing his ankle. I dropped the tools on the floor, my heart in my mouth as I lunged forward to assist Jane.

Brandt had Ethan by the foot, both of them dangling precariously out the window. Jane was holding on to Brandt by nothing more than his ankle. I grabbed his other leg, and together Jane and I hauled them both back into the room. Everyone lay for a moment, contemplating their mortality, not voicing the horror of what had just been narrowly averted. Brandt met my eyes, they were relieved and thankful, filled gratitude that they hadn't all just plummeted to their deaths. I gave him a small smile and then stood up. Time to work.

I was going over the tracking devices with Ethan, the paper, the range, and all the while my mind was on my task ahead, and on the man who was fiddling with the retinal contact scanner – I recalled how he didn't like having his view obscured at any time. He wasn't hurt, my heart gladdened at that, I was surprised to feel old familiar feelings coming back to me, feelings I thought I'd discarded long ago. Will was safe, he was safe. My mind returned to my rescue from Korea, Ethan, there for me when Will had not been. Ethan reassuring me I was safe. Ethan, disappearing, only to turn up in a Russian prison of all places. I had been alone all this time, my heart had healed, or so I had thought. I frowned as all these feelings and more flowed through my mind as the others talked strategy.

_**WASHINGTON D.C – Just over two years ago.**_

He was back, already. But this was not the same William Brandt who had left me. He stalked the rooms of my apartment - the one we secretly shared when not on missions - haunted, angry, seething with self-hatred underneath a sadness he could not voice.

_He turned to me, pain in his eyes._

"I don't want you to take the mission." He whispered. His eyes sought out mine, they were dark and broody, his forehead creased in worry.

"_Will, this is what we do." He shook his head and resumed his pacing. His muscles bunched under his light t-shirt and he fought to keep some control in his voice._

"_Maybe it shouldn't be..."_

"_What are you saying?" I asked, incredulous at this turn of events. _

"_I'm saying... maybe we need to get out. Before one of us gets hurt." He said finally._

"_Before I get hurt, you mean. You want me to resign from IMF! Where is this coming from? What the hell happened to you in Croatia?"_

_He flinched. He was trying to reach me. I was being stubborn. I didn't like this new chauvinistic attitude. Since when had he seen me as not capable of fulfilling my missions? I frowned and looked at him. _

"_Eve, don't you see... I can't... I can't protect you anymore! We aren't on the same team..."_

"I don't need _your protection Will! I can take care of myself!" I'd countered with a little harder._

"_I'm going to Korea... and that is final!" I'd walked out on him, slamming the door. _

_When I'd gotten back, all those torturous months later... he had been gone. As if he'd never existed. I had been alone._

My attention came back to the moment, eyes fell to the computer screen. "Is that Wistrom?" I asked.

"Who's that with him?" Ethan asked. I shook my head, and muttered about not having an uplink. Ethan grabbed the computer, showing it to Will. "Who's that with him?"

"That's Leonid Lisenker," Will answered. "A Polish born cryptographer, he designed Russian security after the cold war."

"He's here to authenticate the launch codes." Jane stated.

"We are blown." Will said looking at Ethan.

"No, not blown." Ethan was shaking his head.

"Well we will be as soon as he sees the counterfeit launch codes." Will pointed out.

"Delay the elevator," Ethan said to me. "How long would it take you to reprogram the case?"

"To do what?" I asked, knowing in my gut what he was going to say.

"To make an exact copy of the launch codes." Ethan answered.

"What?!" Jane exclaimed, a look of incredulously on her face.

"You can't do that." Will said, his voice a little louder than he probably would have liked, betraying his panic. I smiled sadly at Will, _he could and he would._

Will stood up, "Ethan hang on now, hang on just a second. You're talking about handing over active nuclear launch codes to Wistrom?"

"Reprogram the case." Ethan ordered me. I reached for the case but Will grabbed my arm. I stepped back, not sure what to do – but he still had my arm. I was torn between my duty, and my conscience.

"Now listen to me and stop!" He cried out. "Just listen to what you're saying, you're fixating. You're not thinking clearly." Ethan moved for the case and Will released my arm, grabbing the case and moving back to dangle it from the open window. "It's not going to happen, I won't let it." He declared.

I looked at the screen, and the elevator count. "33 and climbing" I called out, we were running out of time.

"Brandt, use your head, the mission is not the codes, the mission is Hendricks." Ethan tried to reason, and arm extended out to calm Will down who was starting to breathe a little faster with adrenaline.

"Then just let it play out, give him the bad codes and neutralise him."  
"You know that won't do it," Ethan argued, "failure to a terrorist is just a, a rehearsal for success."

"41!" I called. Ethan had to get through to him. My eyes sought out Will's. He glanced at Ethan, then back at me, as if he was seeking guidance. I allowed him to see my trust in Ethan, he was looking at me, listening to Ethan as our leader tried to reason with him.

"It's now or never." Ethan was saying. I nodded at Will, letting him see I agreed.

"Nothing can be left to chance, you said that!" Will argued, still not sure, his eyes coming back to Ethan's. Ethan kept talking. Will stayed where he was, the case still dangling precariously over the gaping hole.

Suddenly a crunching noise sounded behind me. I jumped, turning to see what had happened. It was the masks, the computer had ground to a halt, failing to finish, an error screeching at us through the speakers. Jane shook her head, we couldn't use them.

"We go without them!" Ethan decided.

I was looking at Will again, he was thinking, weighing the risks behind those eyes. I could see all the scenarios unfolding for him, the way they always did whenever we'd been in the field together. Jane and Ethan argued about whether this was a good idea or not.

"It doesn't matter!" Will said finally. "We have no choice." He handed the case to Ethan, a dejected look falling across his strong jawline.

Like that, they were gone and I was changing into the uniform of a room service attendant, grimacing at the yellow. _Will this work?_

"Come in." I heard Jane's voice over the coms. Wistrom had arrived. Ethan would be knocking on Moreau's door at this sign. It had begun. Would they be recognised? Had they met before? The next 60 seconds would show whether or not we'd just walked into a hornet's nest.

The silence stretched on for what seemed an eternity, waiting on a sign. Finally Moreau spoke, "Which one of you is Wistrom?" I released a breath I wasn't even aware I had been holding and I heard Jane mirror Moreau's question across the coms. I had to move.

At the agreed time I knocked on the door to Jane's room. Pushing the room service trolley ahead of me, I entered.

"Mademoiselle," I ventured... sending a smile to Wistrom who was standing. I inclined my head, "Monsieur." Wistrom reseated himself.

Ethan, Will and Moreau were bantering. My heart skipped a beat as she ordered one of her guards to kill Will, but Ethan replied without missing a beat that we were not alone.

"I've killed the best." I heard Moreau saying, my eyes met Jane's, worried.

"Do you care for some sugar?" I asked of Wistrom. He held up his hand to indicate no.

Ethan was making threats, trying to get Moreau to cooperate. An uncomfortable silence hung in our room as we waited.

"Get the papers," Moreau ordered of her men. That was our sign. Jane put the briefcase on the coffee table, Wistrom in turned placed a black velvet bag on top of it. Snatching it up, Jane looked at the diamonds, buying time, while Wistrom fiddled with the case.

"It's locked," Wistrom said.

Jane feigned ignorance, then went in search of a key. I took the opportunity to grab the diamonds off the table, putting them in the sugar bowl while I finished up my duties as room service attendant, slipping the now empty velvet pouch back on to the coffee table where it had been resting.

Excusing myself, I exited the room as quickly as possible, without drawing attention to myself. I could imagine Will upstairs 'authenticating' the launch codes. Jane would buy them some time, but it would be close.

I had been called to the room with Ethan and Will. My eyes sought his out and he glanced in my direction as I handed the diamonds to one of Moreau's men. He was worried. I retreated and headed back to the suite, starting to remove the outer yellow garment as I went.

"Wistrom has the launch codes and is on the move." Jane's voice came over the coms.

Suddenly Ethan's voice came over the coms. "Moreau is on the move!"

"Got her!" Jane said.

"She's an asset Jane! I ...need...her...alive!" Ethan was fighting with Moreau's men.

I had made it back to the suite and my computer.

"Uh, Ethan, Wistrom is in the elevator." I muttered to myself, it was all going to hell.

"Eve, slow it down, get me an elevator."

Ethan was at the elevators, but something was wrong with our coms. I couldn't hear him, and he couldn't hear me.

"Ethan can you hear me? Over."

The door flung open and I jumped to attention, reaching for a gun that I didn't have. Moreau stood, fuming in the entry, only to be pushed forward by Jane at gun point.

"Watch her." Jane instructed.

"Why?"

"Because if I do, I'll kill her!" She stormed off leaving me with her gun pointing at the blonde. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead woman.

"Eve?" Will's voice came over the coms. I was relieved to hear it.

"Yes?" I answered.

"I've got Leonid by an elevator. He's been shot."

"Shot?" I dropped my guard for just a moment. She was fast. Next thing I knew I was on the floor, a blinding pain in my head, and Moreau was grabbing the gun from my hand. I swore, _I can't believe I let myself get distracted! _Jane had heard it, and was hurtling at the blonde, a look of rage on her face. I struggled to sit up, she'd hit me hard. Jane and Moreau were throwing each other around the room, each landing a few punches here and there.

They were both struggling for the gun, I could hear Will over the com "No, no, no no no no no no." And then a gun shot from behind me. I sighted my gun on the other side of the room and started crawling toward it, but I was dizzy, and struggled to move. More shots fired, and then the door flung open and I looked back to see Will, gun in hand trained toward the women.

"Jane! No!" Will yelled.

It was too late. Moreau was in front of the open window. With a kick she lashed out at Moreau and with a sinking shock, I watched as she fell out the window, plummeting 119 floors to her death with a fading scream.

_Will_

She had passed out. I tried to hide my concern from Jane, who was busy getting our bags but watching me mindfully as I leaned down to check her vitals. My breath was caught in my throat. When I'd seen her on the floor, unconscious, I'd thought the worst. The irony that only after being reunited after these years, I'd still failed to protect her. Her words echoed in my mind from over two years ago... "_I don't need your protection Will. I can take care of myself!" _I smiled sadly, then hid it behind a stoney mask, don't betray your emotions, now is not the time.

Scooping her up into my arms, her head lolling against my shoulder. I smelled the sweet smell of vanilla from her hair and fought to contain the memories.

**_CHICAGO – 1.5 years ago._**

_I trailed her down the narrow streets, skyscrapers all around us casting shadows on the people scurrying about. I hated Chicago. But she had been reassigned here, a new life, time to recover._

_A shadow of anger passed over my face, but I pulled it inside, internalising it, stuffing it deep where the rest of the self-hatred lived. It fuelled me, pushed me to move forward with life. To let go of all attachment. To her. _

_When I'd heard of what happened in Korea, it hit me like a tonne of bricks. Eve Dunne. Captured. Tortured. Left for dead because there was no way IMF could safely get in to retrieve her without causing an international incident. It happened. Agents left to the whims of their captors. Most of them never heard from again. _

_It wasn't until after Ethan Hunt had launched a rescue mission that I had even known what had occurred. Why it was that she never returned from her mission to Korea. She'd been captured, and no one had been informed because no one was supposed to know she was even there._

_Once she was returned, the shame of not being there for her had eaten away at me. How could I go to her now? More importantly, it just reinforced what I already knew. _I could not protect her. _She was safer in her new life, communications, a safe job behind the scenes. No longer a field agent. Just like me. _

_Her pace quickened and I hurried to keep up, her dark hair bobbing in the wind, she'd cut it off, now it was short in the back and tapered around to frame her face in a kind of reverse bob. I missed the length that she'd had before, but this suited her, gave her a fresh start. And her eyes would never change. The doors to a building swung open and she entered. This was as far as I could chance going. I could not risk her seeing me. My location and current assignment to the Secretary was now classified. I didn't know why it was that the Secretary had taken a liking to me, but was happy for the position where I could still use some of my talents. _

_I watched as she was swallowed by the crowds of people coming and going from the building. It was just a moment, a glimpse, but I had convinced myself that she was all right. With this in mind, I knew I could move on, however much that hurt. With a heavy heart, I turned and walked down the streets back to my rental car. She was safe._

We had to disappear from the Russians who had intercepted Ethan. Where had they come from? A safe house, of sorts, we found. An abandoned old building, brown and dusty, but empty – that is what mattered.

I put Eve on the narrow bench against the side of the wall and pulled a shirt from my duffel bag, wetting it in the sink and placing it on her forehead. She moaned and her hand grabbed my wrist, but she did not pull it away.

One eye parted just a little to see it was me. I detected a slight tug at the corner of her mouth and she expelled a breath, at the same time one word, a bare whisper, but I caught it. "Will..." And she rolled her head to the side to sleep. She hadn't called me that the whole time since the train car, preferring to use Brandt. The hardness of my name being the only thing from her mouth. My heart grasped at a faint hope hearing her say it, perhaps there was a chance.


	4. Chapter 4 - After the storm

_Eve_

We were sitting in a dingy little house on the outskirts of Dubai, sand from the storm covered everything in a fine layer of brown. I was resting my head on the wooden table before me, my head throbbing from where Moreau had hit me, she'd hit me hard and I fought the inner shame that I'd allowed myself to be distracted by Will's voice.

Jane was washing herself off from a basin of water, Will stood opposite me, his shoulders hunched as he leaned on the back of a chair.

"What happened with Moreau, Jane?" He asked, barely controlling his anger.

"She couldn't help us with Hendricks," Jane countered.

"Yeah so let's throw her off the building!"

"I didn't throw her..." Jane started.

"She was NOT the mission Jane!" Will interrupted, yelling. I'd seen that look in his eyes before. He was barely holding it in, and I resisted the urge to reach out to him, to touch him, to bring him back to the Will I knew, the one who would understand the position Jane had been in, who would show some compassion. There was something more underneath that anger, guilt perhaps, I couldn't quite grasp it.

"The mission was to track the file back to Hendricks. Who is now in the wind!"

Ethan was in the bathroom, he'd returned empty handed. I knew how he would feel, but Will was taking it the hardest, his role having been key to giving Hendricks the launch codes.

"How the hell did the Russians find us?" Jane turned her anger at me.

"What are you asking me for?"

"Because you're communications, you're in charge of covering our tracks." I couldn't believe my ears when Will jumped in with her, agreeing, something about how I shouldn't be so sloppy, I was a field agent! I shot him a bewildered look, but my heart knew he was right, I was fast turning this on myself, blame.

"And you're just an analyst?!" Ethan's voice boomed as he rounded the corner from the bathroom. He was looking pointedly at Will and I flinched. There was no way Will could explain his training after what Ethan had seen.

"Right?" Ethan asked. "Right? Who are you really Brandt?"

The men faced off. Everyone was angry, everyone was blaming themselves, kicking themselves for the failure to complete the mission. We were going to implode.

Suddenly Ethan drew a gun on Will, and in an instant Will was moving to disarm him. I struggled to my feet, my breath catching. Will had one gun pointed at Ethan. Jane had hers trained at Will. I found myself start to weaken. This was all getting out of hand.

"How does an agent, with skills like that, end up an analyst?" Ethan asked pointedly of Will.

I saw the briefest flicker of … guilt... behind Will's eyes. Guilt, and something else. Shame. He lowered his head and dismantled the gun, dropping it to the floor.

"Well we all have our secrets." He said quietly, his eyes rising to meet mine. _Yes, we do. _

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Ethan said, stepping closer to the man. I watched his chest heave, tight under the white shirt and tie he wore. He turned to face the wall, leaning against it, silent. Ethan checked his phone, and then he was leaving, calling out that he had changed the plan and we were no longer a part of it. He would send someone for us.

"Wait? That's it?" Jane asked. But the door was already closing. He was gone.

"Would you care to explain yourself Agent Brandt?" Jane asked. Will was pacing, gathering his belongings. At Jane's question he stopped, dropping his bag to the floor. His head hung low, as if pondering what to say.

"William..." I spoke. His eyes met mine. "What's going on?"

He poured himself a glass of scotch from the bottle on the table which we'd all been partaking of.

"I was on a protection detail in Croatia..." he began, I leaned forward. "Two years ago." He added, looking straight at me. My heart skipped a beat. It was the detail he'd returned from, a changed man. I'd never heard this story.

"Shadowing the assets... husband and wife. They were never even supposed to know we were there, whole thing's routine, it was a no-brainer." He shook his head as if the memory was too painful to look at and took another swig of his scotch. "Three days in, we got wind that a Serbian hit squad was after our couple. But my team had it under control, knew they were coming. But I couldn't shake this feeling that I should warn the couple somehow. I wanted to find a way to let them know. But, you know, orders are orders so I didn't." I closed my eyes. _How many times had we heard that before? I didn't want to think of it. Will was, or had been, the perfect soldier, following orders to the letter. _

Leaning against the pillar behind him, Will let out a big sigh. I felt my heart going out to him, I wanted to touch him, tell him it was all right, but I didn't.

"One day, the husband decides to leave the hotel and go for a run, so I follow him, and I leave two men with the wife. When I get back, my guys are unconscious and the wife is gone. Local police found her body three days later, what was left of her anyway..."

My eyes were widening in sudden realisation. I knew this story, but from a different source. I knew it, and I suddenly knew why it was that Will had so badly wanted me to give up the mission to Korea. To stay with him.

"That was my last day in the field." Will continued. "I couldn't face another life or death situation after that." He looked at me, something flickering behind his eyes, but I couldn't make it out, couldn't see what he was thinking.

"So what happened to the husband?" Jane asked.

"Never saw him again. Until two days ago in Moscow when the Secretary introduced me to Ethan Hunt." I looked down. Jane looked surprised.

"No, that's not what happened, she left him." Jane said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I heard that one too Jane." I said quietly.

"Unfortunately, I was there," Will said. "Just like I was there when the Secretary got the phone call that Ethan was in custody for killing six Serbian nationals in cold blood."

"An unsanctioned hit." I said sadly.

"Disavowed." This from Jane.

Will sighed, sitting down at the table with us.

"Next thing I know, I'm on a plane to Dubai, wondering the whole time, do I tell him? How do I tell him? That I'm responsible, I could have warned him, I should have warned him, but I didn't, and she died."

**_Washington D.C. - 1 year ago_**

_It had been months since he'd looked for her, the last time he'd visited Chicago he'd caught but a glimpse. Time seemed to have flown and dragged all the same since the murder in Croatia. There had been a lot of fall outs from the Serbian hits. Ethan Hunt was in a Russian prison, and he'd been reassigned to the Secretary as chief analyst. She didn't know, he hadn't told her about any of it - classified. She'd been there one day, called in as one of Hunt's team. _

_She'd recovered from her time in Korea. He watched her, a slight tug at his mouth as he watched her graceful moves through the lobby. Every inch of his body wanted to go to her, to hold her and tell her that everything was all right. But it wasn't. He had failed. He had lost everything that had been important to Hunt. He'd almost lost her! All because he couldn't tell her why he wanted her out of the field. All for not following his instincts._

_Now he could not trust those instincts, not in the field, not anywhere. How could he explain this to her? She had come and gone, holding her head high even though the story she'd been given was one of anguish. She didn't know he'd been on that detail, she didn't know where he had been, only that things had changed on his return. It would stay that way. It wasn't safe for her to be involved with an agent, he'd seen that now. Maybe, she could move on if he was gone._

_Will_

My revelation seemed to have hit both Jane and Eve hard. Jane excused herself, saying she needed some air. Eve hadn't moved. I was watching her, without trying to be obvious. I wanted to see how she was reacting to the news. The realisation that the detail that had taken me from her, had also been the detail that turned her whole team upside down, had seen one of her best friends sent to rot in a Russian prison when he'd been the only one to rescue her from that hellhole in Korea.

I noticed how she hadn't changed much in the few years that had passed. She still carried herself with a quiet yet strong countenance. She could meld into the background like a wall flower, or call attention to herself like a sunflower, whichever she chose. There was still that one thing that was different about her...

"You cut your hair." I said simply, not knowing how to start the conversation with her.

She sighed. Running her hands over her face and finally through her short brown hair which was bobbed at the front, long tendrils hanging down to frame her face. She looked at me, a rawness there which I knew I responsible for.

"Will..." she started, as if searching for the words.

"I don't expect you to forgive me..." The words died in my throat. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to explain it to her.

_Eve_

"You did your job." I whispered. I couldn't look at him. I didn't know what I would see there behind those stormy blue eyes.

Standing, I started to pace the room. I was trying to process all this information, but this damn headache was clouding my mind. I couldn't think! He watched me silently, thoughtfully, giving me the space to work it through. But finally I even ran him down. He walked up to me, grabbing me by the arms, forcing me to a stop, and to stand near him.

"Eve! Please say something." I flinched, and he backed away, his hands softening on my arms. I had to grab on to something, and it ended up being his shirt as I leaned in to him, allowing him to support me. My hands balled and I thumped his chest, that strong, contoured chest that had once held me so gently, so lovingly. Images of our time together flashed before me and I softly banged my hands against him.

No, I couldn't give in. I would not allow myself to cry over this man. I raised my hands to my temples, a dull throb settling in behind my eyes. _God I hope I'm not getting a migraine..._

His eyes softened, he knew that look on me. For the first time he realised that I may not have fully recovered from the hit I took from Moreau. Guiding me to a chair he brushed his hands along my neck, causing me to quiver. Then gently he started to knead my shoulders and my head fell forward, enjoying the feel of his touch. I started to feel like everything was right again. But it wasn't. He had abandoned me. When I'd returned from Korea he had been gone. Our apartment was empty of his things and dusty – it had stood empty a long time.

I jumped up. Backing away from him. He sighed, an apology in his eyes.

"I have nothing to say." I said quietly. "We will finish this mission, if Ethan let's us, and then that's it. I just, have nothing to say. I can't... I can't." I ran from the room, locking myself in the bathroom, falling back against the door. I imagined I could feel him on the other side of the door, seeking permission to comfort me, but that comfort could not come.

Vaguely I heard the sound of Jane returning and I knew our moment was over. Now we would wait, and see if Ethan returned for us.


	5. Chapter 5 - On a Jet Plane

_Eve_

Ethan was standing on the steps to a plane when we pulled up. All trace of the storm was gone, it was as if it was another fresh day, a new beginning. Maybe we would be able to go home now, but somehow I knew that wouldn't be the case, not when Ethan was involved.

"We still have a chance to clean all this up, but we have to do it now, and we have to do it together." He said simply.

I was nodding, in as always. Ethan knew without even asking. Jane and Brandt looked at each other, raised eyebrows, an agreement passing between them.

"OK, so where are we going?" Brandt asked finally, signalling their agreement.

Ethan smiled... "India."

We all smiled, a small laugh escaped Brandt's mouth, it thrilled me, but I closed myself off to it, put my shields up, making me immune. I had to be cold now, this was the only way so as to not get hurt again. As Brandt and Jane climbed up the steps to the plane, I stopped next to Ethan.

He seemed to know something was wrong, reaching a hand out to grasp me gently by the arm.  
"Are you ok?"

I stopped and smiled, resigned to my heart ache. Nodding slowly, and taking a deep breath. "I will be." I promised him, eyes signalling that I didn't want to talk about it just yet. He nodded, and then gestured toward the stairs.

I allowed myself a chuckle... "Nice plane!" I said, punching him in the arm. He just smiled. "Wait 'til you see the car."

_Will_

We were on the plane. Ethan and Eve sat huddled over a computer template looking at photos of the billionaire playboy who would need to be seduced for the plan to work.

"On the surface his entire network is state of the art, but it's built on illegally acquired cold war castoffs, including this..." he flipped a screen to reveal an image of a satellite. I was standing just far enough away to give them some space, but close enough that I could stay on top of whatever it was that Ethan was asking her to do. I would not lose her in this mission. Not this time.

Ethan continued. "Hendricks needs it to launch a nuclear strike, and we have to shut it down before he gets that chance."

"And to do that we need to get the access code from him." Eve said resignedly.

"One way or another." Ethan said. Eve closed her eyes, I flinched at the memory that I knew was in her mind. Could she do that again? _Could I watch her do that again? _

"And if I don't?" Eve was doubting herself. I found myself pacing the room. Listening, but also caught up in the memories, the sound of her voice through the earpiece carried to my ear. Of her cries as he hit her, as she whispered for me. _I had been delayed by security when I got down there, we hadn't expected it. I managed to bluff my way through but it had delayed me a long time. "Will..." She was calling for me, just a whisper. I had been nowhere near her, but the fear in her voice, I had to say something. "I'm coming Eve. It'll be ok." Stickell could do nothing, it was up to me to get her out of there, and fast. _

I looked over at Eve, her eyes met mine briefly. I couldn't put her through that again.

"Maybe Jane should go..." I ventured. Carter was in the bathroom, oblivious to this conversation.

"Jane is emotionally compromised." Ethan countered, referring to Moreau. He clearly didn't believe she could pull it off. "Eve isn't." Eve flinched, but only slightly. _You think? _I thought to myself.

"Ethan, she is the best at the communications, we need her behind the computer. Jane can do this." I was adamant. Eve wasn't going in to that ballroom. If she was, I was damn well going to go with her, and there'd be no pussy footing around the mark this time.

Ethan pondered. Looking from me to Eve. I sent him a look that would kill a lesser man, and then backed off, frowning. _I don't know her. _I reminded myself. _Be impartial. _A flash of knowing passed through Ethan's eyes. He nodded, as if for himself more than anyone else.

"He's right. Eve take the computer, your expertise is there, there's no one I can trust more than you to sort out this computer array. Jane will play decoy for the billionaire. I will back her up."

Eve seemed relieved to hear this, taking a deep shaky breath. I stopped long enough to remember to breathe myself. Jane could handle this, she'd kicked a woman out a 100 storey window, a pissy little spoiled rich guy would be no problem for her.

"Of course," Ethan followed, "You better hope your confidence in _someone you didn't know until yesterday is founded_, because she's going to have catch you." He looked at me. I swallowed.

"Catch me?" I asked.

_Eve_

Will and I sat at a small table in the bedroom of the plane going over the plans for tomorrow's mission, his foot rested casually against mine under the table – did he notice? Or was it just because we were so cramped in these quarters? A slight shiver ran through my body as I revelled in the proximity of him. It had been a long time and our tempers had definitely gotten the better of us, but my heart still skipped a beat whenever he glanced at me. Like all agents I kept my face calm and professional – I doubted he could read from me any more than I could get out of him. Which wasn't much.

He was frowning, looking at the silver suit suspended in mid-air over the rover on the floor. Resting his head in his left hand, he tugged on his earlobe as he looked over the blueprints for the computer array, I resisted the urge to reach out and run my fingers through his brown locks, he looked so tired. I explained how he'd be wearing the silver suit under his party suit, and suspended from that I could move him along the array. The suit fell suddenly to the floor and Will looked at it, a raised eyebrow, before looking back at me.

"Okay," Will said, "So we enter the party separately as guests, Ethan quarterbacks while Jane..."

"...gets the codes from the billionaire." I finished the sentence with him, our eyes meeting. I wondered if he was thinking back to that Paris mission together, when it had been him and me playing out that role instead of Jane and Ethan. I feel my breath catching slightly in my throat, _god this is not good, did he notice? _Quickly I continue with the mission brief.

"I switch off the vent, you jump into the computer and I catch you, you plug in the transmitter, Ethan feeds me the codes, which I then use to pinpoint Hendrick's location."

Will was looking at me, his brow furrowed as his blue eyes burned into mine. He had raised his finger at me half way through my briefing, I knew it meant he didn't like where things were going. Shaking his head, but not taking his eyes off me for a moment, he jumped in with his own concerns.

"Okay, yeah, you ah, just _breezed over_ something I think is really important..." He leaned forward a little bit, I could feel his breath lightly caress my face as he got closer. I closed my eyes as he lowered his voice, and continued. "The computer array part... where I just..." He gulped "Jump?"

I open my eyes to meet his. "And I catch you." I whisper to him. _I will catch you Will, trust me. _I try to convey the level of assurances needed to him. I can do this, _we _can do this.

"Yeah..." Agreed Will, doubt clear in his voice. I resisted the urge to reach out and touch his face, to stroke those worry lines from his brow. Instead I sat back, an exasperated sigh coming from me.

"I don't... why is that...?" I was starting to get annoyed at his lack of faith. "Why is that so hard to grasp?" I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him, just like we used to push each other. He needed to know I was completely sure of this.

"What... why?" He shook his head. "Eve, it's a 25 foot drop! And we're using magnets..."

"Yeah."

"In light of our more recent efforts, the technology is..."

"The science is sound. Quite frankly I'd be more worried about the heat!" I said nonchalantly. Trying not to let my fears get the better of me. I started to wonder if I'd rather be in Jane's place after all, but then I remembered..._the tearing of my underwear, being pushed into the mattress... and then his eyes, dark and stormy, full of fury as he entered the bedroom behind the Senator._ Will's eyes, blue like the deep blue of the shirt he was wearing, pulled me back from the brink of drowning in that split-second memory.

He glanced down and back at me. "And then there is that...wait, what heat?"

"Well it's like any computer isn't it?" I waved a hand around like it was no big deal, but my heart was already starting to quicken at the thought of Will going into that array. I didn't like it, let Ethan do it, he was used to getting in and out of tight scrapes. Will hadn't been in the field in years, I was worried, but I tried not to show it. "If you switch off the fan, it's gonna get really hot." I chuckled, hoping to ease the growing tension.

Will was smiling at me, nodding, matching my attempt to pretend like this was no big deal. "Of course."

"Relatively..." I said under my breath.

We both sobered, an understanding of the danger passing between us.

"Of course it will," He breathed. "So I'm, I'm jumping into a... uh, an oven, essentially." The corner of his mouth twitched into a miniscule smile.

"Yeah, essentially. But... uhm, I'll catch you."

"Great." He sat back, releasing a long breath as he contemplated this statement.


	6. Chapter 6 - I'll catch you (Rated T)

**A/N - Here it is. Definitely T rated.**

_Eve_

I shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. I couldn't sit any longer, the growing anxiety making me want to run from the room. I busied myself pouring myself a cup of coffee, taking long, calming breaths while I poured the hot liquid into a mug, adding milk and sugar, stirring it slowly, thoughtfully.

I felt him move in behind me, a soft breath teased the hairs on the back of my neck and I shivered, closing my eyes.

"Eve..." He whispered my name, and a tidalwave of emotions flooded over me. I couldn't move, I dare not pick up my mug for fear of dropping it or spilling the coffee.

"Eve..." He had moved to my side, running his right hand up my left arm as he moved in to face me. His hand trailed up over my shoulder to cup my cheek as his blue eyes found mine. Clear blue eyes, like a cloudless spring day, yet I caught a trace of a storm brewing under the surface.

"You just disappeared..." I whispered. I had to say something. Anything. To stop the tears that so wanted to fall from my eyes. Instead I gave him a piercing look, one that clearly showed the anguish I'd been through in returning to an empty apartment.

"I know, I had to, I didn't want to..." He glanced down, then raised his eyes to mine again, this time I saw shame, anger, and a longing, an ache that sat beneath it all.

"I had failed Ethan... _she was my responsibility!" _He whispered the last part, his breath catching. His hand dropped to his side as he fought the conflict inside.

I grabbed it with both my hands, massaging it, squeezing it like it was my lifeline to him. I nodded slowly.

"I get it," I whispered back, "You had to move on, and then I got captured in Korea and it would have been hard, I mean, I can see why you wouldn't have waited around after what I'd said..."

"No!" He interrupted suddenly, I frowned, _what?_

"No Eve, that wasn't it. I didn't want to cast you aside, it wasn't like that. It's just... " He stepped back, running his free hand frantically through his hair. "I didn't even _know _you never made it out of Korea!" His other hand, I noticed, he kept between mine. He looked down at his feet, then up at the ceiling, eyes searching the room for an explanation, something that might answer my questions.

"I'd left, yes, but only to give you some space until we'd cooled down."

I watched as he drew to a standing quiet, drawing all his emotions back in and taking a deep breath. It was as if he'd made his mind up about something. When he turned back to me, I could see it in his eyes. He was torn, raw sadness and pain brewed under soft eyes.

"If I couldn't protect Julia, how could I ever, _ever _hope to protect you in this job? How could I go into missions knowing that I wouldn't always be with you to watch over you? Look at what happened to you! I was... drowning. I couldn't do my job Eve. You wouldn't leave..."

My mind flitted back to one of our last conversations, he was begging me to get out of the field, to take a desk job somewhere. I couldn't. It wasn't me. I didn't understand what was going on, he'd been different since his last mission. He wouldn't tell me what had happened, but he'd been distant and angry taking it out on those around him. And I had a mission.

"No one told me when you were captured. I never knew you didn't make it home." He hung his head in shame, sighing. "And then you never followed up on me, and I thought, maybe it was better, maybe I'd hurt you too much, maybe this was needed in order for you to get over me and be safe."

"I didn't know." I whispered.

"I know." He smiled, the corner of his mouth raising in his trademark roguish grin. "I had to let you go. I had to make you hate me before we destroyed each other."

"I never hated you." I said quietly. Looking down at his hand between mine. _I could never hate you._

His breath caught, and it was as if time stood suspended between us. Slowly he drew his hand out from mine, I pined at the withdrawal of his touch. He sighed softly, walking over to the door, pausing near it, his head hanging down and his hand resting on the handle.

I tried to stifle a shaky breath, tears building in my eyes wanting to fall. I couldn't show him. I couldn't let him know how much I still cared for him. _Be strong Dunne, be strong.  
_

_Will_

My hand was resting on the handle, I should just walk out the door before things got worse. I'd already hurt her so much, I couldn't be what she needed, I was doubting myself and whether we could even get through tomorrow's mission. I had to be focussed.

Something about the way she turned her head, I heard just a whisper of a breath as she turned slightly away from me. _She loves you. _My mind was prompting me. _She still loves you. _No, how could she? After all I had done. After how I had abandoned her. My mind replayed the last half hour of conversation... one thing stood out more than the rest, she'd whispered it, why? _I'll catch you. _She was asking me to trust her. After all we'd been through, after all I'd put her through. She was asking _me _to trust _her. _

In half a second I'd locked the door and then crossed the room. Her eyes widened as she realised I wasn't leaving. I took her face between my hands, softly stroking her skin as my eyes searched hers, drowning in their hazel depths. I sought permission, I sought confirmation, I looked deeply and I found it, and it pressed me on.

Leaning in I brushed my lips softly against hers, her breath smelled like peppermint. My resolve was gone, I slid my tongue between her lips, she welcomed me, and I drank from her. My tongue roaming her mouth, caressing her tongue as I rediscovered what it was to kiss her.

I felt her hands slide up my sides, timidly at first and then more urgently as I deepened our kiss, pushing her back against the wall. She was tugging at my shirt and I felt the buttons pull away as she pushed it down my arms. I had to let go of her face to shrug it off, and she deftly pulled my undershirt off over my head. I buried my hands in her hair, pulling her to me in a desperate kiss, wanting to drink every part of her into me.

I slid one hand down to cup her buttocks, pulling her tightly against me, my arousal already showing as her leg slid between mine, rubbing against me. Finding the gap between her jeans and top I pulled it out of her waistband, splaying my hand against her lower back, rubbing in circles. My other hand held her head firmly, tangled in her hair as I continued to kiss her deeply, moving my feverish kisses along her jawline, to her neck.

"Will..." she whispered. Then there was nothing, just her quiet moans as she hastened to pull my pants and underwear down, they fell effortlessly to the floor, hers followed momentarily. Moving, I pulled her to the bed with me, guiding her down to the mattress, laying beside her as she looked up at me from her back. There was only love in those hazel eyes, and I fed on it.

Her blouse was open. I don't remember that happening, just a smattering of buttons skidding along mattress to the floor. The feel of her skin under my hot kisses was intoxicating, I loved to see the rising of her breasts where she breathlessly moaned at each touch, trying to keep it low so as to not bring attention from Ethan and Jane in the other compartment.

Her eyes sought mine out, dark and moody, a need burning strong behind those emeralds. I nodded coming up to kiss her, smothering her moans. My arousal was hard, rubbing against her bringing shudders of pleasure. Her fingernails dug into my shoulders, that would leave a mark tomorrow, but I didn't care.  
Slowly, I raised myself over her and slipped inside, just the tip and it was enveloped in a warmth I hadn't felt in so very long. Breathlessly, I started to slide further in, kissing her neck as she threw her head back fighting the urge to moan loudly. When I had buried myself inside of her, I rocked, staying deep, melding our bodies together as I caught her mouth in another kiss, silencing her moans.

We moved as one, our rhythm strong, I found myself drowning, and upped the pace to keep us afloat on this river of passion. She wound her legs around me, her heels digging into my buttocks as she rocked up to meet my thrusts. Her breathing was intensifying, short, ragged, and her eyes were closed as I drove deeply into her, thrusting, _God... _

"Will..." She whispered, "Oh faster..." she moaned. I obliged, she was quivering below me, I stayed deep inside, the weight of my body pressing against her, rubbing skin to skin. I covered another moan with a flick of my tongue against hers, my lips brushing against the softness of her mouth. I was nearing my peak, so ready but waiting for her, wanting to hold on to that moment so we could be as one.

"Look at me," I commanded. She opened her eyes, unspoken love shining out at me, and in that moment of climax she kissed me hard, arching sharply, holding, gyrating against me as I felt her come, shuddering beneath me. I gave in to the rush, feeling my own heat enter her. Driving in to her softly now, forestalling any withdrawal, needing to feel her completely, wrapped around me in every sense of the word, whole.

As I collapsed on her, she rolled me over until she was on top, she kept me inside of her, and rested her legs either side of me, her head on my chest. I held her, neither of us moving until we felt the slow withdrawal of me from her as we returned to our resting state.

Kissing the top of her brunette head I savoured the feel of her against me, knowing that there was an uncertain future ahead of us tomorrow in Mumbai, who knew what would happen. But for tonight, we had each other.

"I love you," she whispered, almost too low for me to hear, as if afraid of the answer she might receive.

"I have always loved you." I replied without hesitation, tipping her face gently up to look her in the eyes.

"I don't want to fall." She said, fear showing in her eyes, fear of not knowing what might come. Fear of hurting if we were to lose each other again. Fear of our lives ending in the same bitter and tragic way that Ethan and Julia's had.

I thought back to our earlier conversation, and I knew I trusted her implicitly.

I pulled her in close, holding her as if we had all the time in the world, and nowhere else to be. Gently I kissed her forehead as I whispered in reply, "It's ok. I'll catch you."


	7. Chapter 7 - Jump

_Eve_

Ethan, Will and Jane were already at the party. Music flowed out the windows as I inched my way down the ladder into the sewers.

"Com check." Ethan said, echoing in my ears clearly.

Will's voice came over the earpiece. "Saturn's got you 5x5 Jupiter." I chuckled and dropped the remaining few steps into the sewers and stretched.

"This is Pluto. I have arrived at the party." I stated simply, taking a look around at my surroundings.

I settled in to where I would spend the rest of the mission, getting the computer set up and ready for Will's jump.

"Why am I Pluto? It's not even a planet any more." I quibbled, more to myself than anyone.

"Well I think Uranus is available." Will quipped back at me. His irresistible laugh brought a smile to my face and I took a moment to revel in it, recalling with a slight blush our time spent together last night. _Focus Eve, this is Will's life in your hands. _That sobered me up.

"Hahaha...that's funny because you said anus!" I laughed back. _I will not show my fear. _Images of the gloves Ethan had used to narrowly avert death in Dubai flashed before my eyes. _No, don't dwell on it. The science is sound. _

"I'm in position." Will's voice reported. I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"Sending in the rover." My hands deftly worked the controls and our four-wheeled little friend rumbled off into the shafts nearby. I listened with half an ear to Jane exchanging banter with the rich guy, taking a moment to be grateful it wasn't me. The rover was nearly in place.

"Rover's in position." I could almost feel Will's anxiety seeping through the coms.

"Saturn, take the lead." Ethan instructed.

We could all hear Will's ragged breath over the coms. He wasn't sure about this. I didn't blame him.

"Jump now?" It was a question.

"Yes," Ethan confirmed.

"Commit," Ethan said. "Jump."

"Jump?" Will questioned.

"And I catch you." I promised.

"Do it now!" Ethan commanded.

"So uh, you're sure about this suit right Eve?" Will asked.

"Pretty sure." I smiled.

He chuckled uncertainly, "Now you're _pretty sure?"_

"Jump." Ethan's voice was raised, a warning to it, he was getting angry.

"Jump and I'll catch you Will." I promised quietly.

"And you catch me." Will's breath calmed down at that, and next we heard his uncertain cry as he fell, potentially to his death. I took a deep breath, and waited for the magnets to kick in.

"Ah!" He stopped just short of hitting the turbine. We had done it.

"Jupiter... he's gone." Jane's voice came across the coms.

"Did you jump?" Ethan asked.

"Should I not have jumped?" Asked Will, exasperated. "Because _I jumped!" _He finished with a yell. I bit my lip. _Oh shit._

"Stand by." Ethan said. _Come on Ethan. _There was a discussion I only half heard over the earpieces, Ethan had made his move, following a hunch as usual, and suddenly Jane was back in play with the mark. He was offering to show her his art collection and she was obligingly going with him. We could move. _  
_I turned the rover, moving it along the computer array. I tried to imagine Will suspended in mid-air, in a hot oven, and gulped.

"Ahhh!" Will's voice cried out in my ear. "Up, up! Hot hot!" The rover had fallen into a hole and Will was on top of the hot metal.

I grimaced, trying to maneauvour the rover into place. Will was back up in the air.

"In position." Will informed us. He must have plugged in the software because images of information started flashing up on my computer screen.

"I see the satellite." I said.

"Need those codes guys..." Will again.

This was taking too long. I had a bad feeling coming into the pit of my stomach. The metallic whir of the turbines starting up again drew our attention to what was happening on another level. We said it at the same time, for different reasons.

"What the hell is that?" Will's voice echoed my own.

"What the hell is what?" Ethan asked.

"It's going haywire!" Will called out.

"It's downloading a virus from the satellite!" I reported. There was nothing I could do. My mind went to Will, the array, the turbine. _Oh God._

"Hendricks is reprogramming the satellite. He's going to have launch capability in five minutes!" I fought to keep my voice level, panic setting in but I pushed it to the back of my mind. _Not now! _Jane had to get us those codes.

"Venus, now is the time. Kick his ass and get those codes!" Ethan whispered.

There was a sound over the earpieces as Jane threw the asset against the bed. He had cried out, and she was threatening to break his neck if he didn't surrender the codes. He did so in an instant. I blew a breath, I listened, I visualised Will putting the codes into the phone, and then suddenly everything started to power down.

"Eve, what happened?" Will asked.

"The system's crashed. It's too late!" I called out.

"No no no, he's revealed himself, Eve can you pinpoint Hendricks' location?" Ethan said. I nodded, though it was for no one's benefit other than my own, I was alone at this computer.

I relayed the information to him – 6.7 miles from our current location. I noticed a slightly higher pitch in my voice as the panic of what was going on with Will started to settle in. I got the rover moving, I had to get him out of there, and now.

"Faster Eve, just straight through." Will said to me.

"Wait, stop, take me through!" The rover wasn't responding.

"Will it's not responding!" I felt the ice cold feeling of fear settling in.

"I can't reach the top!" Will. How was I going to get him out?

"There's nothing I can do, the fan is maxed out." _I'm going to lose him, after all this time. _My breath caught in my throat.

"Will?"

A grunt echoed in my ear, and then the soft honey that was Will's voice flowed into me. "Next time, I get to seduce the rich guy."

I laughed, "Deal."

**

We were in the car, Will next to me, taking the wheel with control and confidence, weaving us in and out of traffic as we followed Ethan.

"We're here Ethan." I said over the com.

"How long until Hendricks can launch the missile?"

I looked over at Will, he had one eye on the road, but was watching my face as it registered the answer.

"Thirty seconds!"

We had to get there, and fast.

"Ethan, Hendricks has started the launch sequence."

"How much time until missile's in flight?"

"Three minutes!" Will pushed the accelerator harder, Ethan was further ahead of us, but was going to need more back up.

"We can make it," Ethan muttered. "We can make it."

And then it happened. The missile was in the air. I watched the icon that indicated a missile launch track across the laptop screen. We were too late. I looked into Will's eyes, _at least we're together. _I couldn't face the thought that just a week ago I might have been in America, alone, where this missile was most certainly headed. We would face whatever was to come, together.

"We're gonna get that case!" Ethan had been talking to Jane, and I could see what he meant to do.

We were at the relay centre. Jumping out of the car, guns at the ready, Will and I raced inside after Wistrom. We entered a room full of servers and found Jane slumped against one of them.

"Wistrom destroyed the relay. Ethan is after Hendricks and the case, but..."

I interupted her. "It doesn't matter if he has the case, we can't transmit the abort codes!" I looked helplessly at the server, judging the damage.

"Can you fix it?" Will asked.

"Yeah..." The room went dark. "But it's going to be pointless if we don't have any power." I gestured to nothing in particular, a pointless, helpless gesture of futility as the harsh reality of our situation settled deep into my bones.

"Wistrom." Jane said. She took a few steps but then collapsed against one of the servers. Will rushed to her side, shaking his head. She had been shot, he looked at her with concern. She was not ok despite her protests.

"You stay here and cover Eve. Eve get this thing back online and rewired. I'll get the power on." He took charge, just like that. Like he'd been doing it all these years instead of sitting in an office as a chief analyst. I nodded, turning back to the relay station. I glanced back at him for just a moment, concerned, worried I might never see him again. _Focus Dunne. _He didn't look at me, not that I saw anyway, just rushed off to meet his destiny, whatever that may be.

I had a job to do. Focus. I set to work rewiring all the cables, trying to get a workable connection up so we could transmit those codes if Ethan got them. _When Ethan gets them. _I had to believe we would succeed. We only had a few minutes, I pushed it out of my mind. It was in the hands of the guys now, everything, all in their hands as we waited to hear from them. Jane and I exchanged knowing looks.

Minutes passed. I had rewired everything, the power should have been on by now. A sinking feeling entered my stomach again. Where was he?

"He's been gone too long. Dammit. Listen. When the power comes back on, these two drives go into this bay, ok?" Jane nodded. I took my gun in hand, and setting my resolve, followed Will in the direction of the power room.

I raced down the corridors, heart thumping in my chest. I thought I could hear grunts, as if fighting, and pushed myself even harder. Where was he? I rounded another corner, and there he was, straining against Wistrom who had Will around the neck. Will fought against his assailant, trying to get to the power switch to turn it back on.

I took aim and fired, hitting Wistrom right away. They both fell to the ground, then movement as Will crawled out from under the larger man. He lunged for the switches, pushing them up, yelling for Jane to activate the drives. He slid down the wall, thoroughly exhausted. I ran to him, eyes looking him over. I ran my hands down his chest and over his waist and legs looking for injuries. Somewhere in the background I could hear Ethan yelling "Mission accomplished!"

He chuckled at me. I looked up at him, my eyes saying everything. _I thought I'd lost you. _He sobered.

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered, too low for the others to hear over the coms. I smiled, allowing myself to settle into him. He lifted my chin with a lazy finger before cupping my cheek and pulling my lips up to meet his. He kissed me slowly at first, and then deepened the intensity of it. I matched his passion, sitting up straighter to reach him easier. We stayed this way for a long time, long enough for Russian soldiers to come and find us, just laughing as we sat in each other's arms. We'd succeeded. Mission accomplished.


	8. Chapter 8 - 8 weeks later

**SEATTLE... 8 weeks later**

_Eve_

Ethan was sitting at a table chugging on a beer, an imposing figure sat next to him. I recognised him instantly, Agent Stickell, and as we sauntered up to them both I saw his eyes flit first to me, and then Will, a slight nod of the head inclined to us. He masked his curiosity at seeing Will and I standing there together, a slight raise of the eyebrow told me that we would be answering some questions later on.

"This must be them." Stickell said, playing the game, gesturing with his bottle toward us.

Ethan nodded, "Agent Stickell, the firm of Carter, Dunne and Brandt." We smiled.

"I blew an entire weekend on the bottom of San Francisco bay... all thanks to you clowns." He said in a monotone voice, raising his bottle to us. I glanced at Will who just shrugged. He hadn't changed much in five years, still worried about blowing his weekends. With that he got up and said his goodbyes, leaving us alone, just the four of us again.

"Thanks for meeting me," Ethan said, gesturing for us to sit down.

"So... I hear the insurance company is refusing to pay out on that car you crashed Ethan..." I started, a twinkle in my eye directed toward my old friend. "Something about intentional 100 metre vertical drops not being covered?"

Ethan was smiling, "Go figure." He shrugged with a chuckle.

It was good to laugh again. I smiled at each of my companions, Ethan, Jane, Will. Will's hand was lightly resting under the table on my knee, casually I reached under and gave it a squeeze, he returned my touch with a smile.

Ethan and Jane exchanged a look, "How's the leg?" She asked.

"Still working." Ethan replied. "You?"

"Healing." We all nodded understanding.

I decided to lighten the mood, bringing out the clown inside who didn't really show herself much these days.

"I'm fine! By the way. I mean I'm not actually... _sleeping_... per se." I squeezed Will's hand under the table, and he raised an eyebrow which I pretended not to see. Well, not sleeping _much. _But they didn't need to know the actual reason why.

I leaned forward, "All these people are just happy and smiling and they are completely oblivious to the fact that they were almost vaporised." This was a little more real, I wasn't sure how this sat with me. The reality of how close we'd come, how if just one more thing hadn't gone our way... none of us would be sitting here now. "If it hadn't been for..."

"Dumb luck..." Will interjected, trying to keep the smile off his face, looking away from me.

"Was it?" Ethan asked, suddenly serious. "We were unprepared, in the dark, disavowed... and the only thing that functioned properly, on that mission, was this team." He paused, letting that comment sink in.

"I don't know how we ended up together..." Ethan continued. I had wondered myself, and wondered how he _didn't know _the history yet between Will and I. I mean, Stickell had just been sitting at this very table, and he knew our history, he knew what we'd been through, he'd been right there, listening all those years ago... I quietly put that memory in the back of my head. "...but I'm glad we did." Ethan finished with a smile.

Will was starting to fidget in his seat, he let go of my hand, running it over his jaw, uncomfortable. I threw him an encouraging smile, I knew he still struggled with knowing he was responsible for Julia's death, for not warning Ethan. He'd played it over and over in the last few weeks to me, trying to reconcile it in his mind.

Ethan seemed oblivious to Will's discomfort, but I knew better. He was hiding something. Without much fanfare, he pulled three phones from his pocket and placed them on the table before us.

"Your missions. Choose to accept them." He said, looking straight at Will, who was still fidgeting, a heavy silence on his lips.

"Well, Ethan, you know I'm in." I said, to break the silence. "Can't turn down an opportunity to save the world again. You never know when you're going to need my skills, a girl like me is hard to come by." I looked at him, a smile on my lips. He winked at me, nodding, he'd already known.

"I mean it's not as if any mission is gonna be rougher than the last one is it?" I chuckled. They looked at me with steely gazes. I knew better, but that darn clown in me... "Is it?" I asked concerned. Then we all laughed, a hearty laugh that echoed and drew a few looks from the tourists nearby.

I glanced at Will, hoping no one was looking, and I knew it was time. I stood up, and leaning down to kiss Ethan on the cheek, I smiled at him, a sisterly smile. "I'll see you soon." Ethan nodded.

I took my leave of them, my eyes meeting briefly with Will's, trying to connect with him, but he was lost in his thoughts. As Jane stood, we left together, arm in arm and chatting about the shopping to be done in Seattle. Not that there was much shopping to be had at this time of night.

We wandered together down the pier, leaving Ethan and Will alone.

_Will_

I was staring at the phone Ethan had placed on the table. Not sure how to approach the subject that had been on my mind, in my heart for the last eight weeks. Eve had encouraged me to just get it out, but now that the moment was here, I wasn't sure I could lend voice to it. So I stared.

All courage left me, I wasn't worthy to be a part of this team. I stood to leave, quiet, not knowing how I was going to explain this to Eve as I left the phone on the table. Ethan watched this, and then he called me back. "Brandt."

I sighed. "I'm not picking up that phone Ethan, because I don't think you want me in the field. I know your wife is dead. I was there in Croatia. I was there for one reason. One. And I failed her. It was my job to protect her."

"How do you know she is dead?" Ethan said quietly. My head jerked up at his comment. _What?_

"There was a body..." I ventured.

"Did you see it?" Ethan asked. He was staring at something, something in the distance.

"You killed those Serbians..."

"I had to get her back." Ethan muttered.

"You were sent to prison..." My mind was reeling with this new information. _Could he have? But.._

"A sacrifice I was willing to make. IMF suspected Hendricks had people in Rankou."

It started to dawn on me. Another mission. But with more at risk. A chance to start over, to protect the one he loved. I hazarded a look over toward where Eve stood waiting for me along the pier. I could certainly understand that.

"Six dead Serbians was the ideal cover..." I reasoned.

Ethan inclined his head. "Well waste not, want not."

I sat down, a smile playing at my face for the first time in days. I rubbed my eyes, I was so tired, still, after all that had played out. I saw Eve's eyes looking at me with concern, and I laughed to let her know I was all right. She smiled.

"The Secretary never told me."

Ethan leaned forward. "I accepted the Rankou mission on one condition. That no one could know she was still alive."

"But... you're telling me." He nodded slightly, the trust in his eyes was unwavering. I chuckled.

"And you are going to tell Eve, but that is it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed. "Stickell told me all about you two earlier. Seems you have quite the... history." The last bit was a mere whisper. I looked at him, breath catching in my throat. _Would he act on this knowledge? _I questioned him through my eyes.

"Eve is like a sister to me. I heard about what happened in Paris, how you helped her through that, and I'll be forever indebted to you for that. I was there, when we got her out of Korea, I saw why she dropped out of the field. She was an excellent field agent, _is _an excellent field agent. Something in her has been healed now, I can only attribute it to you. You obviously love her." I nodded at that. He seemed pleased with the answer.

"You also understand duty, and sacrifice. You left her, after Croatia." It was more a question.

"I couldn't control the missions. I was haunted... I couldn't protect Julia. How could I protect her when she was in the field and not always with me? I failed to stop her from going to Korea."

Ethan nodded an understanding. "I'm sorry for my part in that. If you hadn't been on that Croatian detail, you would never have been placed in that predicament. And maybe you would have been in Korea with her, maybe it might have played out differently. I'm sorry it hurt Eve... she was... lost after that. And I couldn't help her from a Russian prison."

I grimaced, not wanting to feel the pain of what leaving her had done.

"But that's over now. We are now a team, and a good one at that. I am confident, given what we've been through, that we can be an effective team. _Together." _This last bit had the extra meaning. Together. I could be with her and still in the field. Ethan would support us. He wouldn't separate us out of fear that we couldn't function under duress. I let out a slow breath, relieved.

"How did you know I was in Croatia?" I asked.

"I pulled your file, after India. I saw the connection between you both, I spoke with Stickell about Paris and he assured me you could both work together, supporting a team without compromising it's effectiveness. Your connection, and your training, makes you both better in the field, not weaker. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't." My mind went to Hanaway and Jane, I wondered if they had compromised themselves for their feelings.

"You had to fake your wife's death." I pointed out.

"As long as she was alive she would never be safe." Ethan said resignedly. "It wasn't your job to protect her Brandt. It's mine." He looked over across the water again.

My eyes went to Eve, in the other direction. "Julia is not an agent." Ethan continued. "Eve is. You're stronger together, and it's my job to see to it that you stay that way."

I smiled, hardly daring to believe the direction this discussion had taken. I held my hand out to him. "So we're good?" I asked.

"We're good." Ethan smiled. I smiled back, a shake of my head and stood to leave. I reached down and picked up the phone on the table, tapping it twice as if to confirm it was really happening. Tucking it into my pocket I walked down the pier toward where Eve was standing.

She grinned at me, doing a little jig which set me to grinning back at her.

_Eve_

He was coming down the pier toward me. A soft, happy smile played at his face, a relief I hadn't seen in a long, long time awash over his features. I loved him so much. The last eight weeks had been a time of reconnection, of rediscovering each other, of confessions – both of our feelings for each other, and of our failings in that.

There was peace around him now. I smiled, grateful the conversation he'd had with Ethan which had obviously put him at ease.

He drew up to me, his customary cheeky grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He leaned down to kiss me and I met him halfway. Sliding my hands into his hair, pulling him down to me, quivering beneath the feel of his hands on my hips as we savoured each other. As we drew back, the unspoken question passed between us, _everything all right?_

He nodded, wrapping an arm around me and starting to lead me down the pier. "Do I have a story to tell you." He whispered. I couldn't wait to hear it.


End file.
